


Mortality

by bekah_writes



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Multi, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Smut, Survivor Guilt, Torture, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:20:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bekah_writes/pseuds/bekah_writes
Summary: Everlyn Olsen never thought she'd be spending her 18th birthday on Earth, let alone with a bunch of criminals.Two of which being Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin.One stubborn and loyal, the other smart and kind.And she's falling for both.How can she choose when her heart is tearing in two different directions? Is it even worth it when tomorrow isn't promised?Word Count: 100k+
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin/Original Character(s), John Murphy/Raven Reyes, Monty Green/Harper McIntyre, Octavia Blake/Lincoln, Wells Jaha/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. Earth

"Prisoner 96, face the wall." I stand swiftly and hide my book under my pillow.

"What's going on?" I ask, my heart pounding. 

"Be quiet," a guard orders. They grab my wrist and clamp something on it. 

"Ouch! What the hell?" I rip my arm away and hold it close to me. I examine the metal band they put on. The two guards grab me by my upper arms and lead me out of my cell. "Hey, wait, no, my birthday isn't for another month Wait!" I struggle, pulling against them. Once outside of my cell, I watch in horror as more guards pull the other prisoners out of their own cells. I look up at one of the guards. "What's going on?" 

"Shut up and keep moving," he orders. He pushes me forward and I stumble into another prisoner. 

"I'm sorry," I immediately apologize. I look up, scared to be met with a fist or something. Instead, I'm met with a smile. 

"Don't worry about it. These assholes are pushing you." I smile, relieved to see someone friendly for however long. 

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" I ask, fear creeping into my voice. The boy looks around, his long, brown hair swaying as he does so. He leans down and puts his lips next to me ear. 

"We're being sent to the ground," he whispers. My mouth goes dry as the boy is lead away by his own guards. "Name's Finn, by the way!" 

The next twenty minutes go by in a blur. Shouting, shoving, swearing... basically mass hysteria. Only when we're all strapped in a drop ship do things quiet a little. I'm too terrified to even talk to the person next to me who had seemingly just woken up. She looks over at Wells Jaha and starts yelling at him, adding to the mounting anxiety I'm feeling. 

Oh, my God. Wells.

Before I can say anything the dropship shakes. 

"We detached!" One of the delinquents shouts. 

"No shit," another calls back. A few chuckles sounds from throughout the ship as people chat amongst themselves. A hand grabs mine and I look to my left in alarm. 

"You're having a panic attack," the girl states. I nod, finding it pretty obvious. "Copy my breathing." I do as she instructs and it's not long before I feel like I can breathe better. She smiles warmly. "Good. What's your name?" I smile in return. 

"Everlyn. What's yours?" I ask, thankful for the distraction. 

"I'm Clarke." 

"Well, Clarke, thank you for calming me down." She shrugs, her hand still in mine. 

"You're welcome." I look down at Wells a little bit and almost laugh at the puppy dog stare he's giving Clarke. I hear some whoops and I look ahead of me and see Finn from earlier floating there. He winks at Wells. 

"Check it out. Your dad floated me after all."

"Strap in before the parachutes deploy," Wells replies, unamused. 

"Hey, you two, stay put if you wanna live," Clarke calls to two other boys who are trying to follow Finn's example. Finn smirks at Clarke. 

"You're the traitor who's been in solitary for a year," he muses. 

"You're the idiot who wasted a month of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk," Clarke shoots back. My eyes widen as I look at Finn. 

"That was you?" I ask, torn between being impressed and repulsed. He winks at me and I glance at Clarke. She rolls her eyes. I look back at Finn and see he's still looking at me. 

"But it was fun." He turns his attention to Clarke. "I'm Finn." Clarke barely spares him a glance before looking back at the TV that I didn't even know was on. Another boy unhooks himself from his seat and I groan. 

"Stay in your seats!" Clarke orders. Suddenly. the drop ship jolts. I slam forward and back into my seat with a grunt. Clarke's hand that never left mine, squeezes. I close my eyes and pray that we'll all at least die swiftly. People are screaming and I faintly hear Clarke ask someone if they're okay. 

Like in the movies I would watch with my mom and dad, the sound around me fades and all I can hear his my own erratic breathing and pounding heart. 

As quickly as the turbulence started, it stops. Sound comes back and I try to listen for any machine hum, but hear none. 

"No machine hum," a boy mumbles as if he'd read my mind. I open my eyes and looks wildly at Clarke. She looks back at me, just as frightened. A click is heard and all of our seatbelts unbuckle. I shakily slide out of mine and stand there in shock. Clarke runs behind us and I follow her, not knowing where else to go. I see a boy laying on the ground and I press my fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse. 

"Finn, is he breathing?" Clarke asks, squatting next to me. I close my eyes and retract my hand from the boy. I look up at Finn and wait for him to confirm what I already know. He shakes his head. Someone shouts something from the first level. 

"No, we can't just open the door!" I take another glance at Finn and hold my hand out to him. He looks up at me and takes it. I help him up and we follow Clarke down to the first level where people are watching an interaction. A tall, handsome man is hugging a girl who looks like him. 

The Blake's?

"Where's your wristband?" Clarke asks the older boy. 

"Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year," the girl replies curtly. 

The Blake's.

"No one has a brother!" A boy shouts. Finn stands beside me, watching the exchange. 

"That's Octavia Blake! the girl they found under the floor!" I groan. So inconsiderate. I push through the crowd only to be stopped by a bug-eyed boy. 

"Who are you to go first?" He asks. I shrink back a little, scared. Finn senses this and shoves the boy. 

"Go bully someone else." The boy looks like he's going to throw a punch but the sound of a seal breaking stops him. I step a little closer to Finn and watch wide-eyed as the dropship door opens. Clarke is standing in front of me, watching as Octavia steps onto the ramp and onto the dirt floor. I glance at the older Blake and smile a little at the adoration on his face as he watches his sister become the first person to step foot on Earth in a hundred years. 

"We're back bitches!" Octavia screams, throwing her arms in the air. The rest of the delinquents whoop and holler as they pour out of the dropship. I follow the rest out a little slower, taking in the gorgeous sight all around me. 

The air is fresh.

The colors are overwhelming. 

The sun soaks fills my being. 

The wind rustling the leaves and my hair. 

Home. This is home. 

Once I come back to Earth, no pun intended, I follow Clarke like a lost puppy. 

"Why don't you look a little happier?" I ask as she looks at a map. She glances at me and looks ready to reply, but Finn stops beside me. 

"Why so serious, Princess? It's not like we died in a fiery explosion." 

"Wrong choice of words," I mumble to Finn. 

"Tell that to the two guys who tried to follow you out of their seats." Finn goes quiet for a moment while Clarke glances back and forth between some mountains and the map. 

"You don't like being called Princess, do you, Princess?" Finn asks. I roll my eyes. 

This boy, I swear. 

Clarke ruffles the map and moves it toward us. She points at a tall mountain miles away.

"See that peak over there?" I nod. 

"Yeah," Finn voices. 

"Mount Weather. There's a radiation-soaked forest between us and our next meal." My heart stops as realization dawns on me. 

"No," I whisper. She nods, looking back at the mountain. 

"They dropped us on the wrong damn mountain." I groan and sit on a big rock, conveniently placed where I need it. 

"Typical," Finn mumbles. Clarke lays a comforting hand on my shoulder. 

"How're we going to get supplies, then?" I ask. Clarke sighs. 

"I don't know." Finn wanders away and Clarke and I watch. 

"What an ass," Clarke mumbles. I grin, looking at her. 

"I don't know, he's kinda cute," I tease. She blushes and starts stuttering. 

"Yeah, well, I mean—"

"Clarke!" Clarke and I look up as Wells comes towards us. He stops when he spots me. "Everlyn?" I smile widely and jump into his arms. He hugs me tightly, laughing. "You're here. You're actually here." I pull away, grinning like an idiot. 

"Yeah, not like I had much choice. Why are you here?" He scratches the back of his neck. 

"I, uh, got myself arrested for you. And Clarke." I smack the back of his head. "Ow!" 

"You idiot! You signed your own death certificate!" He shrugs. 

"Well, I couldn't leave you alone down here now could I?" I blush. He always has that effect on me. 

"How do you two know each other?" Clarke asks. I turn around, forgetting she was even there. 

"We dated for a year or so. Ended on good terms about a month before I got arrested." Clarke's eyes widen and she looks at Wells. 

"You never told me about her." He smiles softly. 

"We never told anyone." Clarke opens her mouth to speak again but Wells beats her to it, changing the subject. "We got problems. Communications dead. I went to the roof. A dozen panels missing. Heat fried the wires," he informs. We walk back to the dropship and Clarke lays out the map so we can all see easily, accepting the subject change. 

"All that matters right now is Mount Weather. See? Look. This is us." She points at a spot on the map before moving to Mount Weather. "This is where we need to go if we want to survive." Not being that great at topography, I tune out. I watch in amusement as boys make a drum, teens are already hooking up, and Octavia flirts with a guy. 

"Ah, cool, a map," a lanky boy muses. He winks sloppily at me. "They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you ladies a drink." 

"You mind?" Wells shoves him back and I steady the boy as he stumbles before grabbing Wells' arm and pull him back gently. 

"It's fine, Wells. Leave it." 

"Hey, hey, hey. Hands off. He's with us," the dick from earlier says, ripping my hands off of Wells. Wells looks as if he's about to commit murder as I stumble back. 

"Hey, she's fine. She was trying to help," the boys defends. I smile at him. He holds out a hand and I take it. We shake. "I'm Jasper." 

"Everlyn." His smile widens and I release his hand before turning back to the others. 

"We're just trying to figure out where we are," Wells says. 

"We're on the ground. That not good enough for you?" The older Blake asks. I bite my tongue. Something about his slicked back hair and snarky attitude makes me want to smack him upside the head. 

"We need to find Mount Weather. You heard my fathers message. That has to be our first priority." 

"Screw your father," Octavia interjects. I outwardly groan, luckily going unheard by the others. "What, you think you're in charge here? You and your little Princess?" She spits at Wells. 

"Guys, please," I start, hating arguing. Six pairs of eyes shoot to me and I immediately regret saying anything. "Nevermind," I mumble. 

"No, speak up, Mouse," the bug-eyed asshole says. I turn red and I avert my eyes. 

"Leave her alone," Clarke hisses. 

"I wanna see what Miss Timid here has to say." 

"Murphy," the older Blake warns. 

"It's not about who's in charge!" I exclaim, fed up with his attitude. "It's about survival. If you want to starve to death because your head is so far up your ass then go ahead. One less mouth for Clarke and Wells to worry about since no one else does," I finish. Letting a little pride slips through. Murphy looks peeved and Octavia laughs. She squeezes my upper arm. 

"I like you," she decides before starting to walk away. 

"I got a better idea. How about you two go? Let the privileged do the work for a change," the older Blake says. 

"Yeah!" The other delinquents agree. 

"You're not listening. We all need to go," Wells tries. 

"Maybe we should take a few people and go, Clarke. Everyone will only drag us down. We can take supplies back here," I whisper to her. She nods and goes to tell Wells the plan, but Murphy decides to stir the pot. 

"Look at this, everybody! The Chancellor of Earth!" 

"You think that's funny?" Wells asks, shoving Murphy. I look at Clarke and she rolls her eyes. 

"Wells," Clarke and I warn simultaneously. Murphy and Wells start to go at it, throwing punches and shit. I watch the cat fight, hoping they cool off without me having to intervene. Soon, it's Murphy and his bitches against Wells. 

"Hey, okay, that's not fair," I mumble, starting to step forward. Someone stops me and I look up and see Jasper. 

"I wouldn't." I look back as Finn jumps down from the dropship in a monkey like fashion. I let Jasper ease me back and I listen as Octavia flirts with Finn. 

"Hey, Spacewalker, rescue me, next time." I snort at the cute attempt. "What? He's cute," she says to her brother. 

"He's a criminal," he argues. 

"They're all criminals."

"So, Mount Weather, when are we leaving?" Finn asks, coming to stand by me. Clarke looks at us and beckons us over. 

"When do we leave?" I ask Clarke. 

"Right now. We'll be back tomorrow with food," Clarke says to Wells, who's sitting on the ground. 

"How are the three of you going to carry enough food for a hundred people?" Finn turns around and grabs Jasper and a shorter, Asian boy by their collars. 

"Five of us. Can we go now?" Jasper and the other boy look at each other, confused but down to do whatever. 

"Let me come," Wells begs, looking at me. I shake my head. 

"You can't with your ankle, Wells. It's dangerous enough for people who aren't injured, let alone someone with a messed up ankle." He sighs in frustration and rubs his hands over his face. 

"At least be careful," he pleads. I smile softly and blush at his concern. 

"We will," I promise. 

"Sounds like a party. Make it six," Octavia announces, stepping up next to me. 

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Her brother asks, pulling her aside. I try to ignore them, but they talk loudly. 

"Going for a walk," she chips, ripping away from him and returning to her space next to me. Clarke picks up Finn's wrist and examines the band. 

"Hey, were you trying to take this off?" I look at Finn and groan. 

"Idiot," I mumble. Octavia looks at me in confusion. "The wristband transmits our vitals to the Ark to let them know whether or not it's survivable. If we take it off, they'll think we're dead." 

"So? I have no one up there. So what if they don't come?" I glare at her. 

"You may not, but other people do. I have my parents up there. How would you feel if you brother was up there? Would you still care?" I ask, storming away from her and over to Clarke. A hand grabs my upper arm. 

"Hey, I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me. Let's start over. I'm Octavia." I turn back around and look into her hopeful eyes. I sigh, deciding she'd probably be a cool friend. 

"I'm Everlyn." 

"Thats a cool name." I smile. 

"So is Octavia. Roman, right? Augusts' sister?" She nods, looking impressed. 

"Exactly. How'd you know?" 

"My mom and I were always interested in Greek and Roman history. My favorite is definitely the Greek mythology though." 

"You and Bellamy would have interesting conversations," Octavia laughs. 

"Why?" I ask, glancing over at him. He looks over at us at the same time and I blush, averting my eyes back to Octavia. 

"He's the one who named me Octavia." 

"Why's that relevant?" Bellamy's deep voice resonates. I try to wipe the blush from my face. 

"Everlyn knew about the origin of my name. She likes Roman and Greek shit, too. Though she like Greek mythology more," Octavia informs. Bellamy looks down at me and an amused smile makes its way onto his face. 

"Oh, really? What's your favorite Greek god?" Bellamy asks. I open my mouth to reply but Clarke's voice stops me. 

"Let's go, Everlyn!" She calls. I glance back at Bellamy before moving toward Clarke. 

"Go on," Bellamy relents. Octavia kisses his cheek before catching up to me. 

"Why'd you throw me under the bus like that? I'm awkward!" I exclaim. She smirks. 

"You don't seem awkward," she sing songs. 

"Not so much around girls. It's..." I trail off, trying to push back memories of why I was arrested. I swallow and switch directions. Thankfully, Octavia senses this and grabs my hand and catches up to Clarke. 

"Before you get any ideas, Finn is mine," Octavia says to her. Without looking at her Clarke grumbles. 

"Before you get any ideas, I don't care." 

Finn'll have something to say about that.

We walk for a bit, chatting idly while Clarke leads us. Finn swoops by and tucks a flower behind Octavia's ear. She blushes and I laugh. 

"Smooth." 

"Now, that, my friend, is game," Jasper concludes. Jasper and his friend walk past Octavia and I. 

"That, my friend, is poison sumac." Octavia immediately brushes it out of her hair. 

"What? It is?" She panics. The boy shrugs. 

"The flowers aren't poisonous. They're medicinal, calming, actually."

"His family grows all the pharmaceuticals on the Ark," Jasper explains. 

"Oh, you're Monty Green," I realize, pointing at the boy. He smiles adorably. 

"That I am!" 

"So, wait, what's up with you and Wells?" Octavia asks. I furrow my eyebrows. 

"Nothing, why?" 

"I don't know. You two have some weird air around you." I snort. 

"I think the earthly air is getting to your brain." Octavia shoves me playfully and I smile. 

"She's right," Monty agrees. I shake my head in exasperation. 

"Whatever. Y'all are delusional."

"Hey, guys, would you try and keep up?" Clarke calls back. 

"Sorry, Clarke!" I reply, quickening my pace. 

"Why do you listen to her?" Octavia asks. 

"When the dropship was falling, she helped me calm down. I have really bad anxiety and it was off the charts on the way down. She helped. She's super nice when you get past the technical barrier." I look around at the vibrant colors, finally allowing myself to absorb them. 

"Hey, is anyone else wondering where the animals are?" Jasper asks. I furrow my eyebrows as I look around, realizing he's right. 

"There has to be some, right?" I ask, anxiety rearing it's ugly head. 

"I'm sure there is. We just haven't spotted any yet," Clarke assures next. Though, based on the look she's trying hard to cover up, I don't think she believes it. 

"I got to know what you two did to get locked up," Finn says to Monty and Jasper, changing the subject. 

"Sumac is not the only herb in the garden, if you know what I mean." I snort and Octavia grins. 

"Someone forgot to replace what we took," Jasper says pointedly at Monty. 

"Someone has apologized, like, a thousand times," Monty sighs. 

"How about you, Octavia? What'd they get you for?" Jasper asks. Octavia's smile falls. 

"Being born," she replies before jogging up to Finn and Clarke. I follow her, faintly hearing Monty's reply to Jasper. 

"That's not so game." I smile to myself and I crouch down beside Finn. 

"What's going on?" I ask. He holds a finger to my lips and points beyond the bushes. I follow his finger. "Oh, my God," I breathe. 

"Is that a deer?" Monty whispers above me. I nod slowly, my eyes not leaving the creature. 

"No animals, huh?" Finn whispers cheekily to Clarke A twig snaps and the deer's head whips up before looking in our direction

It has two faces, melted together sloppily. We all stumble back a little and I shut my eyes. 

"Ew," I whisper. The deer runs off and I look at Finn. "I'd rather have not seen any animals." Finn rolls his eyes at me before we all stand and continue the trek toward Mount Weather. After a couple of minutes of silence, Finn speaks up. 

"You know what I'd like to know? Why they sent us down here after ninety seven years. I mean, what changed?" 

"Who cares? I'm glad they did. I woke up rotting in a cell and now I'm spinning in a forest," she grins. I smile at her innocence. 

"Maybe they found something on a satellite," Monty says, offering an actual reason. 

"The Ark is dying," Clarke announces. We all go silent and look at her. She ignores our stares and continues. "At the current population level, there's roughly three months left of life support. Maybe four, now that we're gone." 

Oh, god. My parents. 

"So that's the secret they locked you up to keep, why they kept you in solitary, and why they floated your old man?" Finn asks. I smack his arm. 

"Very sympathetic, Finn." Finn shoots Clarke an apologetic glance.

"My father was the engineer who discovered the flaw. He thought people had the right to know. But the Council and my mother disagreed. They were scared it would cause a panic. We were gonna go public anyway, when Wells..." she trails off, lost in thought. 

"What, turned in your dad?" Monty asks. By the look on Clarke's face, that's exactly what it was. She shakes herself out of her mind. 

I really gotta talk to him about that.

"Anyway, the guard showed up before we could. That's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we die, at least they bought themselves more time." 

"They're gonna kill more people, aren't they?" Monty asks. 

Please, no. 

"Good. After what they did to me, I say float them all." I bristle at her comment and glare at her. 

"You don't mean that," Jasper says. 

"Yeah, she does. It's all about her. Doesn't give a rat's ass that other people's loved ones are up there," I hiss, storming away from the group. I keep walking, so blinded by annoyance and rage at Octavia's inability to empathize, I walk right over the edge of the rock. 

I scream and expect to hit hard ground, but gasp when something wet takes me under. I struggle to find my footing on the floor before standing up, gasping for air. 

"Everlyn!" The other five shout. I wipe my eyes and look up at them. Finn looks like he's about to jump in and haul my ass out of the water but Clarke stops him. 

"I'm not glowing, am I?" I ask, worried radiation-water is a thing. Octavia laughs and shakes her head. 

"You're fine," she replies, taking off her shirt and pants, jumping in after me. I squeal as water splashes me. She rises from the water and grins. I try to keep up my glare for her earlier comment. She wavers. "Again, I'm sorry. I'm not used to having friends," she admits. I sigh and my heart warms at the thought of her considering me a friend. 

"It's okay, Octavia. It takes getting used to." She laughs and splashes my face. I gasp and splash her back. I peel off my shirt and pants before throwing them on shore. 

"I love Earth," I hear Jasper breathe. Octavia and I laugh at his comment. 

"Wait, there's not supposed to be a River here," Clarke says as Finn goes to take off his shirt. 

"Well there is, so take off your damn clothes." I whoop at his comment. 

"Oh, shit. Octavia! Everlyn! Get out of the water!" Jasper shouts. I look up at him in confusion. 

"What? Why?" I turn around and see something huge swimming toward Octavia and I. We scream and start frantically swimming to shore. Octavia strays behind me and I purposely slow so she's in front of me. 

"What are you doing?" She shouts. 

"Just go!" I urge, pushing her forward. As Octavia reaches shore, Finn and Jasper pull her up. Finn turns to me and holds out his hand. Just as my fingertips brush his, a sharp pain flares up my thigh and I'm pulled under. 

Muffled screaming, thrashing, losing air. 

"Everlyn!" I fight my way to the surface. The monster increases its grip and I scream in pain. I feel it start to pull me under again, but it suddenly lets me go. 

"Get to the shore, now!" Jasper shouts. I struggle to swim to shore with my leg, gasping for air. Jasper jumps in and swims to me. "I got you," he assures. 

"It's coming back!" Finn warns.

"It's headed right for you," Clarke adds. 

"Come on, come on! Keep going!" Finn urges. We finally reach shore. 

"Okay," Clarke says as she and the other four help us on shore. Once up, I lay on the warm rocks, coughing. Jasper's hand is still on my waist as Clarke checks over my thigh. I wrap my arms around Jasper and hug tight. He holds onto me. 

"Thank you," I gasp. Tears slip down my cheeks from shock and left over adrenaline. 

"It's okay. You're okay." Jasper rubs my back as I cry. 

"You're gonna be okay," Clarke assures. I let out a sigh of relief. Octavia rips me from Jasper's grasp and hugs me. 

"You're an idiot!" She chastises, keeping her arms around me. I chuckle tiredly. 

"Thanks. Needed to hear that." I pull away from Octavia and kiss Jasper's cheek. He blushes. Monty chuckles, clasping Jasper on the shoulder.

"Note to self: next time, save the girl."

_______________________________

"So, what you're saying is that we have to swing across a damn rope?" I ask, looking from the increasingly looming flimsy rope to the other side of the river. 

"Yep," Finn says, popping the p. He hands the rope to me and I laugh. 

"Uh uh. I'm not going first. I'm crippled." Finn rolls his eyes and takes it back. 

"Fine, I'll go first." He holds onto the rope and shifts from foot to foot. The rest of us watch and wait for him to go, but he doesn't. 

"Today, Finn," Clarke urges. 

"Just hang onto the apogee and you'll be fine," Jasper encourages. 

"The apogee. Like the Indians, right?" 

"Apogee, not Apache," Jasper sighs. 

"He knows. He's stalling," Clarke laughs. 

"Mount Weather is waiting," I sing song. 

"Go, Finn!" Finn winks at Clarke. 

"Aye, aye, captain. See you on the other side." Just as Finn's about to jump, Jasper stops him. They talk in hushed tones and Jasper glances back at Octavia. I grin, nudging her suggestively. She scoffs but blushes all the same. Finn hands the rope to Jasper and he backs up. I can tell Jasper immediately regrets his decision. 

"It's okay, Jasper. You got this!" I encourage. 

"It's okay to be afraid. The trick is not fighting it," Finn says, patting him on the back. 

"Wise words from Spacewalker." Finn shoots me a playful grin and Jasper's grip tightens on the rope. 

"Well, see you on the other side." With that, Jasper jumps, hanging onto the rope for dear life. The rest of us hold our breath as Jasper lets go and lands on the other side. We immediately erupt into cheers as Jasper pumps his fist in the air. 

"You did it, Jasper!" I shout, laughing with the others. 

"We are Apache!" Jasper cheers. Finn catches the rope as it swings back and looks at Clarke. 

"Lets go, Princess. You're up." Clarke smiles and grabs the rope. I look back across the river as Jasper picks up something metal and holds it up. 

"We did it! Mount Weather!" Octavia and I whoop as Clarke gets ready to swing. A whirring sound cuts through our cheers and I watch in horror as a spear lodges itself into Jasper's chest. 

"Oh, my God," I whisper, my hands covering my mouth. 

"Jasper! Come on," Finn shoots, hoping to elect a sign of life from him. Nothing. I look around wildly, trying to find where the spear came from. 

"What's going on? Jasper!" I try, hoping he's still alive. 

"Get down!" Finn orders, putting his arm over my shoulders and forcing me lower. "Come on!" I take one last glance at Jasper, tears pricking my eyes. "Everlyn, let's go."

And we run.


	2. Hunted

We run aimlessly. Well, I do. I just hope one of us is running towards camp. Monty trips and I stumble to a stop and try to help him up.

"Monty, get up! We gotta go!" I urge. My eyes land on what has him freaked out and I yank him up, almost falling if it weren't for his arms around me. 

Finn picks up the deformed skull and we all stare at it in a mixture of awe and disgust. 

"Who are they?" Clarke asks, her voice barely above a whisper. Finn turns the skull so we can see the front. 

"What the hell?" I ask. 

"What are they?" 

"We are so screwed," Octavia mumbles. A scream rips through the air and Finn drops the skull. 

"That's Jasper! He's alive!" I exclaim, taking off in the direction we came. 

"Everlyn, wait!" Finn shouts. I hear their footsteps following me. It doesn't take them long to catch up since I'm, well, crippled. Just as I'm about to burst out of the tree line, Finn grabs me and pulls me back. "Stay in the trees." We all look across the river for Jasper but find he's missing. "He was right there." 

"Where is he?" Monty asks, his voice frantic. I grab his hand and squeeze, hoping I'm not overstepping. His tightening grip on my hand tells me I'm not. 

"They took him," Clarke says. 

"Why? Why would they do that?" She glances at me and shakes her head. 

"I don't know. C'mon. Let's go back to camp and figure something out." 

"What about Jasper?" Monty asks. 

"We're going to come back for him, Monty. I promise." I pull him with me and soon we're running back to camp. 

After around ten minutes or so, my leg starts burning. I slow down, grasping my thigh. 

"We can't slow down," Clarke says, noticing. 

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. My leg," I huff, trying to increase my speed. 

"There," Finn shouts, pointing at the camp. I almost cry with relief. My lungs and thigh are burning and it's not a great feeling. We rush into camp and people are chanting. 

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" I groan and manage to keep up with the others as we push through the crowd. Wells has Murphy in a choke hold. 

Nice. 

"Wells! Let him go!" Clarke shouts, effectively hushing the crowd. I limp down the hill and collapse on a rock. Octavia squats and checks out my thigh, grimacing when blood leaks through the makeshift bandage. Bellamy rushes over and pulls Octavia up and into a hug. 

"Are you alright?" He asks. 

"Yeah. Everlyn's not, though," she says, turning her attention back to me. 

"What happened?" He asks, joining his sister in a squat. He looks up at me and I blush. 

"A river monster or some shit." His eyes widen and he looks at Octavia as if to make sure I'm not joking. 

"She's serious. It came for us but Everlyn being the hero she is, she pushed me in front of her so it got her instead," Octavia grumbles, still pissed I basically sacrificed myself for her. Bellamy looks back at me and his eyes soften. 

"Thank you." I shrug, smiling a little. 

"It's no biggie." He opens his mouth to speak but Murphy pipes up. 

"So, where's the food?" This grabs Bellamy's attention and he stands, turning to face the others. I go to stand but Bellamy sees this and gently pushes me back down on the rock. Thrown off by the sudden action, I stay put. Octavia glances at me and winks, catching my blush. 

"We didn't make it to Mount Weather," Finn reveals. 

"What the hell happened out there?" Bellamy asks, his arms crossed. 

"We were attacked." 

"Attacked? But what?" Wells asks. He looks over at me and his eyes widen when his eyes travel to my thigh. He rushes over to me and starts to examine it. "What the hell happened?" 

"A river monster. Like a giant water snake or something. It's not too bad." He sighs and shakes his head. 

"I told you to be careful," he chastises. I smile. 

"I was careful enough not to get killed." He looks up at me, exasperated. 

"You're ridiculous."

"Not what. Who." Finn responds, pulling Wells and I from our conversation. Instead of moving away, Wells rests his hand on my knee and stays put. I blush again, frustrated with myself for being a cliche teenage girl with a crush on her ex. 

I can't form deep attachments down here. Tomorrow isn't promised.

"Turns out, when the last man from Earth died on the Ark, he wasn't the last Grounder," Finn announces. Gasps and murmurs ripple through the crowd.

"It's true. Everything we thought we knew was wrong. The good news is, radiation won't kill us," Clarke says, seemingly speaking out loud. 

"The bad news is, the Grounders will," Finn adds. 

"Wait a minute. Where's the kid with the goggles?" Wells asks. Tears immediately well in my eyes and Octavia lays a hand on mine comfortingly. Wells looks at me in alarm and places hand on my free hand. 

"Jasper was hit. They took him," I answer. Silence falls over the delinquents. Wells joins me on the rock and wraps his arm around me. I lay my head on his shoulder. 

Clarke walks up to Wells and grabs his wrist. 

"Where's your wristband?" He pulls his arm free of her grasp, his face going from concerned to pissed in two seconds. He nods at Bellamy.

"Ask him." My stomach drops and I look up at Bellamy. 

"How many?" Clarke asks. 

"Twenty four and counting," Murphy answers smugly. Octavia groans. Bellamy turns around and takes in my distraught features and Octavia looking concerned. 

"You idiots," Clarke says, voicing what I want to say. "Life support on the Ark is failing! That's why we were sent down here. To see if Earth is survivable, and we need their help against the Grounders. You're not just killing them." 

"You're killing us," I interrupt, glaring at Bellamy. Any chance of me warming up to him is long gone. 

"We're stronger than you think. Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good." 

"None of us will have it good, Bellamy. We're criminals!" I argue. He ignores me but I see him falter a bit. 

"We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm? It makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore! They say they'll forgive your crimes. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters, survivors! The Grounders should worry about us!" 

"What a load of bullshit!" I exclaim, my voice drowned out by the shouts of the others. I stand up and push past Bellamy, knocking into him. Octavia and Wells follow me and we meet in the middle with Monty, Finn, and Clarke. 

"Now what?" Monty asks, letting me lean on him for support. 

"We go after Jasper."

♛ ❦༄

I limp into the dropship with Finn to get ready to go after Jasper.

"Hey, guys. You ready?" Clarke asks as soon as we walk in. 

"We're not going, and neither should any of you. That shot was too accurate for comfort."

"Hold up, 'we'? I'm going after Jasper." He shakes his head. 

"Not with your leg you're not."

"I don't take orders from someone who refuses to go after a friend," I deadpan before walking over to Clarke. 

"So we let Jasper die? Not happening." Clarke starts to walk out of the dropship before stopping next to him. "Spacewalker? What a joke. You think you're an adventurer, but you're really just a coward." 

Ouch. 

"This isn't an adventure, Clarke. It's a suicide mission," Finn argues, brushing off the jab. 

"Build a wall with fallen trees. I'll watch after them," Wells says, pushing past Finn and following Clarke and I out. 

"Where are we going?" I ask Clarke as she turns away from the exit of the camp. 

"Picking up extra forces." She walks towards Bellamy and I resist the urge to scream. 

"You guys leaving? I'm coming, too," Octavia says. 

"No. No way. Not again," Bellamy says, shutting down the idea. She huffs and slams back into the seat she's lounging in. He turns to me. "You shouldn't be going either. Not with your leg." I snort.

"Sorry, King Bellamy, but I'm gonna have to split from this kingdom because I don't take orders from you." Wells looks at me weird and I shrug. 

"She can come if she wants. Her leg is up and taken care of. I'm here for you." 

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Wells asks.

"My thoughts exactly," I mumble, still not happy about her wanting Bellamy to come. 

"I hear you have a gun," Clarke asks. Bellamy moves his shirt up to reveal a gun. I can't help but look. He's got a damn good body under there. Clarke nods once. "Follow me." 

"And why would I do that?" He asks. I roll my eyes at his childish behavior. Clarke turns around and lowers her voice. 

"Because you want them to follow you, and right now, they're thinking only one of us is scared." I grin.

Nice.

He glances around to see if she's right and then looks over at Murphy. 

"Murphy, come with me." I groan out loud this time. 

"Please no," I whine. Clarke snickers at my childish behavior. 

"Atom? Make sure my sister doesn't go anywhere. Is that clear?" Atom nods. 

"I don't need a babysitter," Octavia protests. 

"Anybody touches her, they answer to me." He turns to us. "Let's go." I look back at Octavia and she pouts, shooting me a playful glare. I blow a kiss at her and struggle to keep up with the others. 

"Those guys aren't just bullies, Clarke. They're dangerous criminals," Wells says, pointing out the obvious. He moves closer to me and our arms brush.

"I'm counting on it," Clarke replies, quickening her steps. I glance at Wells, shrug, and match her pace to walk beside her. 

"Do you think they kept Jasper alive?" I ask, worried they took him to eat him or something. 

"Hey, what's the rush? You don't survive a spear to the heart," Bellamy speaks up. I whip around and walk right up to his face. 

"Y'know, I'm usually a passive person, but you're really pissing me off. Clarke may have wanted you on the rescue mission, but I can promise you I don't. So if you don't shut the fuck up with your pessimistic attitude, you might as well shoot yourself before I do." I glare at him, my chest heaving with barely suppressed anger. 

"Hm, you managed to piss off Mouse," Murphy smirks. 

"Keep it up and you're gonna get your ass handed to you by a mouse." After a few more heated moments, I turn around and storm past Clarke, Clarke follows, chuckling. "What." 

"Oh, nothing," she sings. I glare at her and she shuts up. "Jasper screamed when they moved him. If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly. It doesn't mean we have time to waste." Bellamy grabs Clarke's wrist. 

"As soon as you take this wristband off, we can go." Clarke rips her arm free of his grap and steps up to him, chest to chest. 

"The only way the Ark is gonna think I'm dead is if I'm dead. Got it?" She seethes.

"Back the hell up, Bellamy," I warn. Bellamy smirks, glancing between Clarke and I.

"Brave princesses," he muses. 

"Hey, get your own nickname," a voice intercedes. Our attention is turned to the newcomer. 

Finn. 

"Nice of you to show up," I smile. He rewards me with a dazzling grin before looking at the others. 

"You call this a rescue mission? We gotta split up to cover more ground. Clarke, Everlyn, come with me." Leaving no room for argument, Clarke and I follow Finn. 

"Better late than never," Clarke muses. 

"I like to think so," Finn replies. We walk in semi silence, the only sound being the forest and the hushed conversation of Wells, Murphy, and Bellamy behind us. 

"I've been thinking," Finn interrupts the silence. 

"Oh, no," I gasp dramatically. He nudges me gently and I smile. "What about?"

"Mount Weather. How come they didn't attack until Jasper crossed the river? It's not like we were quiet. They had to have known we were there." I go silent, mulling it over. 

"Maybe a territory line?" I offer. Clarke nods slowly. 

"Makes sense. They waited for us to cross. The river's a boundry. Which means Mount Weather is off limits," she scoffs. I sigh in frustration. 

"Great." 

"How are we gonna get those supplies? What are we gonna do for food?" We slow to a stop at the sound of rushing water. A waterfall comes into view and we're hushed as we stare in wonder. 

"Whoa," I whisper, admiring the lush green around the sparkling water. 

"Yeah, you can say that again," Finn agrees. I smile to myself. 

"Whoa," I repeat, just to spite him. Before I can blink, Finn pushes me into the water. I gasp as my feet touch the rocky floor. "Finn!" I shout, glaring. I glance around in the water, terrified that there's gonna me a big ass river snake coming to snatch my other leg. He laughs and I can see Clarke trying to suppress one. 

"Well, we don't need to worry about water," Finn says through his laughter. I cross my arms to hide the fact that my shirt is see through. Luckily I'm wearing a bra, but it's still uncomfortable. Finn jumps in after me, purposely splashing me. 

"We don't have time for this," Clarke says over my screeching. 

"Clarke, we've been hiking for hours. We need a break," Finn whines. 

"I'll take a break when we find Jasper. Come on." Clarke starts to walk around but Finn quickly grabs her arms. "Finn. No, no, no!" She shouts before he pulls her in. She gasps as the water hits her skin. "Damnit, Finn!" She stands there for a minute and Finn and I watch as her face relaxes. "Wow. Okay, for a minute." I laugh as she gives in. 

"I think I know why you're so hell-bent on finding Jasper and why you're always taking care of everybody else," Finn says. I bite my lip, knowing he's gonna fuck it up. 

"Now you sound like my mother." I smile as I see a romance blossoming before my eyes. As long as Finn doesn't fuck it up in the next five seconds. "No, no. Go on. The delinquent psychiatrist." Finn is quiet for a moment and we wait. 

"You couldn't save your father." Heavy silence hangs in the air. I look everywhere but the two people in front of me. Something red contrasts against the leaves. I swim over and examine it. 

"Guys, it's blood." They follow me over and look at the bloody leaves as something shining in the bushes catches my eyes. I climb out of the water, my limbs sore from hiking and the stupid water snake. I bend over and pick the object out of the bushes. I turn around and hold them up for Clarke and Finn to see. "Jasper's goggles."

"He was here. Let's go," Clarke says, getting out of the water. Finn follows her and we continue walking. "We should get the others." Finn and I nod in agreement. 

"We're close," Finn concludes. I spot a head of black curls over the bushes. 

"Bellamy!" I call, ushering him over. Him, Wells, and Murphy come over. "We found Jasper's goggles." I show them to him, keeping a tight grip on them. 

He has to be alive. 

"Great. Now what?" He asks, looking bored. I clench my jaw and follow Finn as he looks around before walking. We walk in awkward silence before Murphy decides to be annoying. 

"How do we know if this is the right way?" 

"We don't. Spacewalker here thinks he's a tracker," Bellamy replies rather loudly. 

"Would you shut up?" I hiss. Finn squats down, examining some blood tinted leaves. I kneel beside him, picking up a little ripped fabric. "Jasper's shirt." Finn nods, standing. 

"It's called cutting-sign. Fourth year Earth skills. He's good," Wells tells Bellamy. 

"At least someone paid attention," I mumble. 

"I'm the one who helped you pass," Wells reminds me. I smack his leg before attempting to stand. Wells holds out his hand and I take it. 

"Thanks." I groan, looking down to make sure I'm not bleeding. "I picked the most inopportune time to be crippled," I mumble. Finn picks up the pace, as do the rest of us. A groan is heard in the distance and I push ahead past Finn. 

"Wait," Clarke calls. I keep going, only stopping when I see Jasper hanging from a tree. 

"Jesus," Murphy says. 

"Now would be a good time to take out that gun," Clarke tells Bellamy. He does, getting it ready. Clarke starts walking toward Jasper. 

"Clarke, be careful," Finn warns. In the blink of an eye, the ground breaks open and Clarke falls through. Bellamy catches her, but barely. 

"Pull her up!" I shout, skidding beside Bellamy and helping haul Clarke up. Wells, Finn, and Murphy come to help. Once she's up, I hug her. 

"I'm starting to hate Earth," I mumble. She breathes heavily, nodding. 

"Me, too."

"You okay?" Finn asks Clarke. 

"Yeah, fine." She stands, helping me as well. "We need to get him down." I nod, looking up at the poor state Jasper is in. 

"I'll climb up there and cut the vines," Finn announces, walking toward the tree. 

"Yeah. I'm with you," Wells says, going to help Finn. 

"No. You stay with Everlyn and Clarke. And watch him," Finn says, pointing to Bellamy before pointing to Murphy. "You. Come with me." They start to walk toward the tree. Clarke steps a little closer. 

"There's a poultice on his wound," she onserves. I furrow my eyebrows. 

"Medicine? Why would they heal him just to string him up?" I ask, trying to look closer. 

"Maybe whay they're trying to catch likes it's dinner to be breathing," Bellamy offers. 

"For once, I think you might be right," I tell him. He smiles at me but I ignore it. 

"Maybe what they're trying to catch is us," Finn counters. 

"Yeah, I don't like that idea," I say, shaking my head. 

"That makes two of us," Murphy grunts as he climbs the tree. 

"Murphy, hurry up," Finn says as he unties Jasper. Murphy picks up the pace and manages to untie Jasper's other side. 

"Careful," Clarke and I say at the same time. As Murphy and Finn help get Jasper down, growling emerges from the brush. 

"What the hell was that?" I ask, backing up to the tree. Bellamy looks around, moving closer to me. He not-so-subtly steps in front of me so I'm between him and the tree.

"Grounders?" Bellamy asks, looking at Wells. 

Proving Bellamy wrong, a big cat pounces out of the bushes and at Clarke but misses as she ducks. It all goes quiet for a minute. I grab Bellamy's arm and squeeze, my anxiety running wild. It pounces again, barely missing Wells. 

"Bellamy! Gun!" Clarke screams. Bellamy goes to grab the gun but it's not there. He looks up as the cat lunges toward us. He turns around and wraps his arms around me protectively. I bury my head in his chest and hold onto him out of fear. The cat snarls and Bellamy's arms tighten around me. For a moment I think he might squeeze the life out of me. A gunshot echos and I scream.

Then silence. 

I peek around Bellamy and see the cat lying on the ground, blood soaking the dirt. Dead. Bellamy releases me and turns to face the cat and then looks at Wells. 

"Now she sees you," he says. I furrow my eyebrows and look at Wells, his eyes on me. 

"You okay?" He asks, handing the gun back to Bellamy. I nod.

"Can we go now?" I ask, my voice shaking. Bellamy nods, letting me step around him. I walk over to Clarke let out a shaky breath. Wells joins us and slips his hand in mine and squeezes. My stomach erupts into butterflies despite almost being eaten by a panther. 

Or maybe it's because I was almost eaten by a panther. 

Bellamy hoists the dead cat onto his shoulders while Finn and Murphy lay Jasper on the stretcher thing they brought. 

We all head back to camp in silence, Bellamy and Wells sticking closer to me than before.


End file.
